* SILVER LINING
The Dream of the Stormy Mountain
Years Ago:
* We took a summer family vacation to Colorado. I can still feel the clear mountain air, the crisp chill it brought. Thunderstorms crept over the mountains like black panthers and vanished again. The mountains were grey ghosts, shrouded in mist. I can still taste the icy mountain water, buckwheat pancakes thick with melted butter and pure maple syrup, and steaming coffee in the morning. Blue and orange wildflowers sparkled like glitter in the sunrise along the gravel paths. Mulleins, were blooming. Their flowers were butter yellow, poking up on slender stalks like living prehistoric candles between the jagged rocks.
Our young family went for a scenic drive up Long's Peek. The road seemed only one lane wide as we snaked up the ancient mountain. There was no guardrail. It was a leap of faith to look down. There were no turn-a-rounds. The day got progressively colder and greyer we we climbed. Cotton clouds rolled and tumbled like lamb's wool. Chill settled over us like a damp blanket. Was this summer? Our car rounded a sharp bend. I looked up, I shouted, "There it is!"
I am sure my puzzled family wondered what "it" was. "It" was an instant color reply of a dream! That solid iron grey mountain top, spikes of pines raking heaven, those windswept clouds frosted in silver and cerulean blue. I had already seen them in my dream! I grabbed the camera and quickly captured the shot.
Wander and Ponder
Reflecting back to experiencing the mountain dream, I remembered shaking myself awake. At the time, I felt the dream mountain meant something, but what? I brushed aside the mist in my mind, forgetting, yet not forgetting until now. I knew, in a time to come, I would take brush to canvas and solidify the frosty moment. Turning my mental camera lens into clear focus, I remembered the message "Paint Your Dreams" from another dream scene set in my personal art gallery. "What Dreams?" I questioned.
Back to the Mountain
While trekking slowly on foot along the narrow mountain path, I daydreamed back to learning about meditation. Zen: the ever present NOW. What is space and time as it rewinds, stands still, or fast forwards? Does time exist at all? By siting quietly and clearing my mind, meditation's centering discipline helped me to quiet storms of uncertainty inside. I felt more calm, focused, relaxed and more able to cope with the twenty-four hour on-call job called motherhood.
As I reflected more, I remembered practicing brush calligraphy and Chinese ink painting just for fun. Bamboo and mountains were my favorite subjects. Years ago we all enjoyed art exhibits in Washington, D.C. and watched Tai Chi practice. Tai Chi looked so compelling to me, like slow motion synchronized concentration. I wanted to attend Tai Chi class then, but I swept the idea aside with family activities and creative projects overflowing. "No time, maybe later," as I reached for the ringing phone while the Collie barked and the kids romped.
Painting the Dream Mountain: The Dream That Came Full Circle
Finally the time came to collect art materials and memories. With three colors and one ancient brush I slashed and burned the image onto the canvas in record time. I cut the thick pure cerulean blue into the Payne's Grey fog. I blended the titanium white into the blue until the color glowed like crystal. I used my favorite brush, worn thin with time and love. The dream shot straight from the heart effortlessly and with great joy. I called the painting Silver Lining, symbolizing brighter times ahead. Healing light shone in the silver clouds behind the silence of the stormy mountain.
The Vision: the dream, the scene, the painting had come full circle. A physician friend felt that in my dream, I was already present on the mountain. After wallowing in artist's block, like reconnecting with a lost friend, my explosive painting energy returned while painting Long's Peek.
Long's Peek Full Circle
We first saw Long's Peek cloaked in grey clouds, recently the same mountain is splashed bright with sunshine. Someone asked me, "When have you recently practiced stillness and silence?"
In the shadow of Long's
Peek: I felt a quiet and still mind. I heard a welcome silence, free of cell phones, devices and various, machines as I absorbed stillness and solidity
from the ancient mountain. Gentle exercises of Tai Chi and Qigong practiced
while gazing at Long's Peek with a silent group brought meditation in
motion to The Dream That Came Full Circle.
* Reprinted, in part from Silver Butterfly: Create A Vision, Awaken Your Creative Spirit
A Tai Chi Journey with a Mystic Twist, free illustrated PDF E-book by Dahlis Roy
Related Topics: Key Words, Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation
Related Posts:
EnLIGHTENED Travel (Oct 2014)
Going Within Clouds (Sept 2014)
Wander and Ponder (Oct 2013)
Travel Light with Tai Chi (July 2012)
Carry Water Chop Wood (June 2011)
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Images by Dahlis
Paintings: Silver Lining: The Dream of the Stormy Mountain, 1987
Zen Circle, ink brush just for fun, this one has a heart center
Photo:
Angel on the Mountain, Long's Peek in sunshine and mist, 2014
Tai Chi Moving Stillness, photo by K. B. Wilson
Angel on the Mountain
IN LIGHT?" IN THE LIGHT? INNER LIGHT?
Enlightenment: What does it mean? "In Light!" "I got a light bulb in my head!" "I have a sudden desire to create something." "Something isn't working, I have to make a 180 degree U-turn." My intuition tells me I should....." (fill in the blank).
Years ago my friend Louise told me, "I think enlightenment does not come all at once, but in small steps like climbing a mountain....one rock at a time. Sometimes we slip back, but when we look upward, there is another reaching out a helping hand (or paw or hoof) to boost our climb again. Every path is unique."
Sunsplash
"Travel is Never Easy."
Well! Let's change that! I set my mind to "leaving, arriving, and returning" on a trip enjoying perfect health and relaxation. It sure isn't "easy" for a quiet artist, a cave painter at heart, to actually leave home and get into the hurried, noisy, blaring lights world...Help!
"Help is Here!"
Prepare (Anticipate)
Experience (Flowing and Positive) Spontaneous, Flexible
Recall (Store and Index Memories)
Prepare:
I had a health setback, OH NO~ Would I be able to travel? I asked friends for help, any positive help! Thumbing through books (real books) I also "found" by osmosis: Prayer to St. Michael (Healing with the Angels by Doreen Virtue). Compose a prayer to ask St. Michael for help to restore your energy to compete vitality. Ask him and his team to come to you and cut cords of anything draining you.
Ask St. Michael to "clean" your home, symbol of your spiritual health (Barbara Ann Brennan, Hands of Light, Light Emerging).
Angelic Vacuum Cleaner: (Ask Your Angels, Alma Daniel). How ridiculous! In short, visualize an angel coming to you carrying a vacuum cleaner! I pictured an orange machine like two balloons! The angel can vacuum you from head to toe, remove debris from your aura, brighten and brush your body-mind-spirit! I tried it lying down...I "saw" Ariel! She was white, gold, and pink. I felt better. What a gift!
Today I tried the angel vacuum treatment standing still after Tai Chi practice...WOW! Like a whole body acupuncture treatment...I felt clean and bright, energized.
Magnetic Unruffling: Lie down. Call in your angel team. "See" how appears. Have one angel stand at your head and one holding your feet. Picture other helper angels "brush" and remove clutter, waving their hands over you like an energy healing session. Feel light and relaxed! Sleep or nap as needed.
Salt Cleanse: Use pure sea salt. I put mine in a glass jar with a lid. Place under your bed or at night table. The salt removes negative ions that may be present. Recently I acquired a carved heart shaped Himalayan Salt (pink color). This salt has balancing properties containing potassium, calcium, and other nutrients. Use as needed.
These treatments come from Debra Basham, healer and author.
Invisible Shielding: idea from Carolyn Myss received during a phone conversation with Judy. Picture your energy field far out around you. See a crystal shield protecting you. Bring it down over your whole body, front and back like a globe of tough impermeable surface where only positive energy can radiate outward and be absorbed inward. I added a "ring of fire" bright red flames even beyond the crystal shield for extra measure! It worked!
Tapping for Health, Emotional Freedom technique (EFT, Dr. Joseph Mercola) Stemming from Chinese Medicine techniques, daily tapping can be part of your routine and healing experience
You can ask for these help therapies daily as needed. I am!
Thus "Armed" I was ready to travel light~
Experience:
My Silver Collie Sky "appeared" in my imagination on time Friday night before take off. Collies are always on time!
After a relaxing night in Chicago, morning take off went smoothly, my collie by my left side where he indicated he would be! The surprise was at 11 AM in flight, more animals appeared! My golden Collie Lad and two white horses, Sedona Mist and Camelot, then Gypsy, a black coated dog from ancient Rome, grinning with long tail waiving. Phoebe the spirit cat came to me and stayed on my lap! Shadrach the wolf was there too. Smile~my life is never dull....
Later, in the Rocky Mountains, I heard a horse neighing-I answered her~She was a brightly colored chestnut mare in the paddock near our deck lookout. It is great to feel the energy of a horse near. It is great to practice neighing again!
Long's Peak Revisited, a spiritual full circle experience, was brought up close and more and personal because of the daily Tai Chi and Qigong classes/groups at Aspen Lodge where we gazed at the huge mountains while practicing.
Tai Chi Spiritual Vitamins
Evening Restful
Morning Awakening
All in Harmony and Balance
Return and Recollect
What have I learned on the the Mountain?
I can dream
the mountain! I can paint the mountain! I can photograph the
mountain....I can draw on the mountain's Solidity and Stillness
"anytime."
Related Posts:
Going Within Clouds
Let It Be, my dog is here!
Electric Handshake
Phoebe's Angel
Travel Light With Tai Chi
Carry Water Chop Wood and Invisible Journey
Tai Chi Spiritual Vitamins and Running with Horses
The ABC's of Tai Chi
Phantoms
Encounters with Michael, the Artist meets the Archangel
Angels 101
Stars and Snow, Spirit of Phoebe
Winter Wolf
Resources:
Total Memory Makeover book by Marilu Henner, Actress, Author
Healing with the Angels by Doreen Virtue
Hands of Light, Light Emerging, Energy Healing with Barbara Ann Brennan.
Ask Your Angels by Alma Daniel and other authors, learn to work with your angel companions
Carolyn Myss, author, spiritual teacher
Help for ADD
Healing Add the 7 types and Magnificent Mind at Any Age, Daniel Amen, M.D.
Driven to Distraction, Answers to Distraction, help for adult ADD by Edward Hallowell, M.D.
Deepak Chopra M.D.
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Images
Angel on the Mountain, Long's Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado USA photo by Dahlis
Sunsplash, photo by Rob, sunrise over Los Padres Mountains, California USA, photo published with permission
Blue Shadows, oil painting by Dahlis Roy. Turned upside down, it can be evening (Yin) or morning (Yang)!
Taking Off, Photo by Paul
Our day dawned with grey mist and chilly rain. My son Rob and I stared out the window. "It's a 'Going Within Clouds' day," Rob added.
"What's that?"
"It's a good day to hunker down in the cave. Cats are already going within, dormant." We chuckled.
Clouds and Mountains
During the quiet rain, I looked fast-forward to an enlightening upcoming travel experience. I saw an image of myself looking out of an airplane window in flight, seeing microscopic cars and hurried concrete city vanish into patchy green and gold. Next I visualized the clouds, below the cloud banks, through the mist and above the clouds then into the blue. I felt and saw "Going Within Clouds" as I meditated in my imagination in stillness while traveling.
Will I have the energy reserve for travel? How can I prepare with confidence?
Enlightened Travel
Preparation went well, pre-packing, pre-thinking, pre-relaxing! Paul and I packed together, paring down to three carry on bags. I remembered to ask friends for prayers and extra energy of colors and lights. I packed simple nutrient rich snacks including various nuts and unsweetened dark chocolate.
Off We Go!
Off We Grow!
Full Circle
Returning to the Mountain we saw long ago, Long's Peek in Estes Park Colorado USA gave us new perspectives on life. We felt quiet all around. We felt quiet within. From our deck we saw Long's Peek! We saw it in mist and clouds, at sunrise, in twilight. We felt the energy of stillness and motion all around us.
* I shivered thinking back many years when I had a vivid dream....of a mountain peek. Our young family visited Rocky Mountain National Park and drove up Long's Peek...."There it is!" I shouted as I reached for the camera. No one else knew what I meant. The scene in front of me, trees in silhouette and all...clouds and grey and silver was my exact dream!
Later at home I painted the scene. I named the painting Silver Lining, better years to come.
** During our recent mountain visit, practicing Tai Chi and Qigong with qualified instructors brought in extra peace and harmony.
When can we go back to the Mountain? The Mountain i Always Here....
"We sit together the mountain and I until only the mountain remains...."
Related Posts:
Travel Light with Tai Chi (July 2012)
Resources:
The Master Within, Passion for Life book by Master Chen
* Aspen Lodge, Estes Park, Colorado USA
**Silver Lining, The Dream of the Stormy Mountain, paraphrased from Silver Butterfly, Create A Vision, free illustrated E book by Dahlis Roy, PDF format.
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos:
Water, Mist, Mountain and Top of the World by Rob
Earth and Sky, detail of oil painting by Dahlis
Clearing and Manifesting
Recently my friend, Judy, and I talked with great excitement. We are reprogramming some of our ways of thinking and acting. We talk by phone and coach each other. We question and wonder. We ponder and emote.
One conversation Judy remarked that a lot of needless anxiety comes from trying to be perfect. Let's say, kitchen "chorz," endless and never quite done to our specifications. "Lately I have just said to myself, It's good enough!"
Another breakthrough came for Judy when she got an i-phone and transferred a lot of data, scheduling, and organizing onto her phone instead of recording "information" on scattered scraps of paper, post-it-notes or notebooks full of ideas and quotes from articles and books.
The three bag rule! When clearing a room, or a section of a room, take three bags: One for trash, one for recycle, and one for "possible keep." Pare down your keep bag to the smallest amount. If you can't part with the books/info yet, store them temporarily in a storage box and put a # on it. In a card file, or your phone program, "index" what you put in that box. Judy said this is helping her and she can find what she is looking for more quickly this way. This is helping her get rid of huge stacks of random papers in various rooms.
Meanwhile, keep the items moving "out the door." Donate clothing, books and other items for friends and family to keep or pass along or to other organizations.
"I feel lighter and happier in my own home!" Judy exclaimed.
The Visitor
I looked out my window and there was a gold and white cat in the yard! As I watched her, she owned the yard yet our other cats made no attempt to chase her. Sometimes she walked near them, and they didn't even notice!
We named her Fluffy because of her long puffy tail. She has a good home and is well groomed. I told Judy, "She looks like a Norwegian Forest Cat!" Judy agreed that Fluffy "indeed looks like Phoebe," her own Forest Cat from years ago!
We found out later that "Fluffy" is a boy!
We love our furry visitors....
"Do you ever wonder what fills the empty spaces?" Louise Watson, R.N.
Related Posts:
Stars and Snow: Spirit of Phoebe "Phoebe is a Spirit Cat...."
Resources:
Better World Books worldwide, drop boxes. Books are recycled if damaged, donated to reading programs and libraries worldwide or sold to interested buyers and collectors.
Dahis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author and Tai Chi Instructor
Photos by Dahlis
Clearing and Manifesting, forest green and morning spiderwebs
Fluffy in golden sunlight
Happy Fourth Birthday, Out of the Blue!
On the 26 of September 2010, I pushed "publish" and watched with tears, awe and wonder as the giant blue butterfly logo painting appeared on the "Big Screen" as if by Magic.
Four years later, look how You and We have grown.
Thank You for contributions from near, far, and beyond....the unseen hands and hearts behind the scenery of our life journeys.
Thank you for the ever evolving doors and windows of inspirations and exploration.
Thank you for joys, gratitude, "peeks" and valleys into the heart-mind.
The Top Five All Time Posts on Out of the Blue:
Tonal Vision (Jan 2011)
Lavender Blue (June 2012)
What Kind of Animal Are You? (Jan 2011)
Wander and Ponder (Oct 2013)
Sirius Blue (Apr 2012)
"I Honor Change and Welcome It," Debra Basham
"The Universe Works Differently than is Commonly Supposed," Mildred
"All is Possible with the Mind," Paul Lam, M.D. Tai Chi for Health
"Make Just a Little Progress Every Day, Just A Little Progress," Jou, Tsung Hwa, author, mathematician, Tai Chi Master
"Where you are now is your point of arrival...Now is the Moment that Never Ends," Deepak Chopra, M.D., author spiritual teacher, Yoga, meditation
Related Posts: All
Resources:
Blogger Create Your Free Blog with Google, fun and easy, connect with friends or go worldwide, your choice, many templates
Dahlis Roy: Visionary Artist, Author, and Tai Chi Instructor
Photographs by Dahlis
Purchased Greeting Card
Blue Sunlight Reflection through blue bottle
